MABERLY STREET, BROADFORD WORKS WITH RETURNS TO ANN STREET AND HUTCHEON STREET (Ref:43908)

This building is in the Aberdeen, City Of Council and the
Aberdeen Burgh.
It is a category A building and was listed on 12/01/1967.

Group Items: N/A,
Group Cat: N/A,
Map Ref: NJ 9360 0675.

Description

Fenton Murray and Wood (Leeds), 1808. Subsequent 19th century additions probably by inhouse engineers for John Maberly and Richards and Co. Works effectively completed by large additions of 1904-14 by Wilsons and Walker. Large group of textile manufacturing and storage buildings, granite and brick-clad, of iron-framed or reinforced concrete construction, with setted streets between them. Slate or flat concrete roofs.

Office and porters' lodge at entrance from Maberley Street, dated 1902, single storey and attic granite with bowed front. Modern box dormers.

Range of 4 and 5-storey spinning mills in centre of site: Old Mill, 7 bays 1808, South Mill, 8 bays, circa 1820, New Mill 14 bays circa 1850-60. Regular iron tie-plates. 3-bay S gable with small square ogee roofed bellcote over arched attic window. Long E elevation with arched stair bays. Square base of chimney stack at NE angle W elevation less uniform due to the narrow plan of Old Mill, which has 3 giant order pilasters to yard. New stair and toilet accommodation added 1922-3 in brick-built towers with corner ball finials between each mill.

INTERIOR: iron-framed brick arches on 4 rows of cast iron columns, cruciform in Old Mill, cylindrical elsewhere. In new mill single row of columns to 1 side and triple row to the other side of beam engine house. Roofs rebuilt 1922-3.Detached engine house to E with flat roof and arched windows (tandem compound engine replaced in 1935).

New North and South Mills by Wilsons and Walker, 1913-14: large brick-clad spinning mill, 4-storey symmetrical 15-bays to either side of central engine house which rises further storey having terracottawreath details. Parapets raised at each end bay. Balustraded stair and lift tower at S end. Simpler stair projects at N gable. Flat roof.

Brick built chimney stack, set at angle to Hutcheon Street, taper from a square corniced plinth. Top cornice missing. Connected to boilerhouse via long flue.

Notes

The oldest iron-framed mill in Scotland and the fourth oldest known to survive in the world (after others of 1796, 1804 and 1805, all inter- related). The adjoining South Mill may be the third iron framed building in Scotland. Built for Scott Brown and Co (of Angus), 1808, bankrupt 1811 and sold to Sir John Maberly MP, entrepreneur, speculator
and introducer of jute to the UK. Maberley rapidly developed Broadford Works, adopting the first gas lighting of an industrial complex in Scotland, by Boulton and Watt in 1814-15, and Scotland's second power loom linen weaving factory in Scotland in 1824. Maberly was himself bankrupt and in 1834 the works passed to Richards and Co, who had a bleachworks at Rubislaw and branches at Montrose, produced canvas tarpaulins and as a particular specialism, fire hoses. Latterly man- made fibres for carpet yarn etc has replaced flax. Employment peaked at 3,000, once the largest single employer in Aberdeen. "The entire arrangement of the plant leaves nothing to be desired by even themost critical inspector Messrs Richards and Co have a Worldwide reputation for the excellence of their manufactures and the straight forwardness of their commercial dealings" (Scotland of Today p 71).
"The Bastille" flax warehouse of 1911-13 on the South Side of Maberly Street is listed separately category B.
The chimney on Hutcheon Street was previously listed on 12 January 1967 at category B as item 495.

Buildings are assigned to one of three categories according to their relative importance. All listed buildings receive equal legal protection, and protection applies equally to the interior and exterior of all listed buildings regardless of category.

ACategory A

Buildings of national or international importance, either architectural or historic, or fine little-altered examples of some particular period, style or building type. (Approximately 8% of the total).

BCategory B

Buildings of regional or more than local importance, or major examples of some particular period, style or building type which may have been altered. (Approximately 51% of the total).

C(S)Category C(S)

Buildings of local importance, lesser examples of any period, style, or building type, as originally constructed or moderately altered; and simple traditional buildings which group well with others in categories A and B. (Approximately 41% of the total).